PartyPoker Review

One of the oldest, biggest names in online poker, partypoker may not be where it was in its pre-2006 heyday. Nonetheless, recent changes made it a site heavy on recreational players. With arguably the best cashback system in the business, the site is one of the top places to play online.

Partypoker first appeared on the internet in 2001. Initially owned by partygaming, it was the most popular online card room in the world throughout the first half of the noughties.

When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed in 2006, partygaming decided to withdraw from the American market, effectively losing the title to PokerStars. Nowadays, the site is operated by GVC Holdings and is available in 14 different languages.

Early on, partypoker used to have some of the softest games in the industry. Along with a good cashback system, this attracted plenty of multi-tabling grinders, who raised the level of competition so high that the site started to bleed traffic. In February 2013, partypoker responded by scrapping the old rewards program, segregating their player pool by win rate, and introducing tables that were visible exclusively to fish.

Player segregation was rolled back in October 2013 following a public outcry, but many multi-tabling regulars never returned afterward. Consequently, the player pool started turning fishier again, making partypoker a fairly decent hunting ground for cash game players in 2018.

How to sign-up for partypoker

Setting up a partypoker account couldn’t be easier. Simply download the software client or use the instant-play option to initiate the account creation process. At this stage, just follow the on-screen instructions, pop in your name and address, and that’s pretty much it. Please note that partypoker reserves the right to ask you for a satisfactory proof of age and to suspend your account until you produce it.

Partypoker doesn’t accept customers from the United States, Poland, and any territory where it’s illegal to participate in online real-money games. You should also keep in mind that players from Spain and France aren’t currently able to access the global partypoker network. Instead, they have to play on local, fenced-off versions of the site, which tend to suffer from low traffic.

partypoker sign-up bonuses

New partypoker customers have two first-deposit bonuses to choose from. One of them is best suited for recreational players, while the other allows serious grinders to get some additional bang for their buck.

$20 Free welcome bonus

This bonus isn’t exactly free. You must deposit at least $10 in order to claim it. In return, you’re getting $10 for standard ring games with stakes ranging from $0.01/$0.02 to $0.10/$0.25, as well as five tournament tickets. Two of those tickets are worth $1.10, two are worth $2.20, and one is worth $5.50. Please note that the ring game bonus expires after 40 days.

In order to cash out the bonus, you’ll have to earn at least 10partypoker points. All in all, the value of this deal is inversely proportional to the size of your deposit. Claiming it is not recommended if you’re planning to deposit more than $20.

100% matched deposit bonus, up to $500

This bonus releases in 10 chunks. Every chunk is released as soon as you earn the number of partypoker points equal to the bonus amount. You earn one point for every $1 you pay in rake or tournament fees.

Here’s an example: let’s say you deposited $100. This means that your bonus releases in ten $10 chunks. You must accumulate 100 partypoker points to realease a chunk. Consequently, you’re getting a 10 percentrakeback deal from the bonus, plus the additional value from the cashback program. You have 120 days to clear the entire bonus.

All the other leading poker roomsoffer more in terms of pure welcome bonus rakeback. PokerStars’ welcome bonus is equivalent to a 28 percent rakeback deal, and even 888poker gives you 20 percent rakeback.

However, the rakeback that you’re getting from partypoker’s loyalty program blows all competing schemes out of the water. A simple bonus-to-bonus comparison doesn’t even tell the whole story. As soon as you start earning 25 partypoker points per week, your rakeback will skyrocket to 30 percent, and the good times won’t end the moment you clear the entire bonus amount.

partypoker traffic overview

Partypoker is currently the third most popular West-facing poker site. The site’s numbers are very similar to 888poker’s, which holds the second spot. It’s worth noting that a lot of the room’s players are very inexperienced due to frequent recreational player-oriented ad campaigns, casual ring games, and the general animosity certain veterans feel towards the brand due to the aforementioned player segregation scandal.

Consequently, while the numbers don’t look as great as in the case of PokerStars, finding weak players will be much easier at Party.

Cash traffic

The seven-day average when it comes to active cash game players for partypoker is 1,400. This amounts to about 20 percent of the traffic PokerStars gets. Activity tends to peak at around 2,500 players, which happens at around 9:00 p.m.GMT.

Tournament traffic

Partypoker offers a well-rounded tournament schedule, with plenty of interesting events and varying buy-in levels. The numbers speak for themselves. On the first weekend of 2018, the $150,000 Title Fight attracted a field of 1,470.Even the high-roller events had between 100 and 300 unique entries.

Despite having a to work with a player pool that’s five times smaller, partypoker consistently pulls off events that are only three times smaller than their PokerStars counterparts. The site also hosts daily newbie tournaments with ultra-low buy-ins. It also offers the most-popular $1,000 guaranteed MTTs with a $5.50 buy-in tend to attract in excess of 250 players on a regular basis.

partypoker games

Partypoker doesn’t have a massive player pool like PokerStars. Resultingly, their selection of games is rather limited in comparison. Their network is mostly about Texas Hold’em, with some low-key Omaha and Stud action happening on the side.

partypoker cash games

Partypoker doesn’t get as much traffic as PokerStars. Moreover, the players generally tend to be less skilled, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that most cash game players stick to No-Limit Hold’em tables. It’s the most-popular poker format, and neither the limited player pool nor the skill deficiencies lend themselves to playing niche variants of the game. It is worth noting that some micro-stakes cash game tables are reserved for casual play, which makes them unavailable to multi-tabling players.

Hold’em

Theoretically speaking, No-Limit Hold’em stakes range from $0.01/$0.02 to $200/$400. In practice, most of the action happens at the micros. The cut-off point for both 6-max and 9-max full ring games is $2/$5. Anything beyond that is usually played heads-up.

For Fixed Limit Hold’em, available stakes start at $0.02/$0.04 then go all the way up to $30/$60. This format is essentially dead when it comes to full-ring play, but it is possible to find opponents willing to play heads-up, particularly when it comes to low and medium stakes.

Partypoker also offers a few Pot-Limit Hold’em tables, with blinds ranging from $0.02/$0.05 to $5/$10, but finding someone to play against borders on a miracle.

Omaha

Omaha is available exclusively in a pot-limit format, with stakes ranging from $0.01/$0.02 to $200/$400. When it comes to micros and low stakes, most tables can accommodate up to six players. However, it is worth noting that the site does operate a few 8-max tables. Much like in the case of Hold’em, the high-stakes action is limited to heads-up play.

7-Card Stud

Available in Fixed-Limit format only. Stakes range from $0.50/$1 to $30/$60, but you shouldn’t expect any activity beyond the occasional heads-up duel.

partypoker multi-table tournaments

All supported poker games are available for tournament play. Most of the action is centered around Texas Hold’em though. The tournament schedule is packed with interesting events that cater to different player demographics. Recurring contests are generally grouped into the following boxing-inspired categories:

Additionally, partypoker customers can take part in monthly majors, with guaranteed prize pools often exceeding $1,000,000. It’s also worth noting that the site hosts plenty of satellites for both online and live events, with tickets available for as little as $1.10.

All things considered, partypoker doesn’t give you access to as many options as PokerStars does. You won’t find any HORSE or Fixed Limit Omaha events here. Nevertheless, the soft competition and the ultra-low buy-in MTTs are something that you won’t find on the Stars Group’s network, so choosing one over the other ultimately comes down to personal preference.

Other poker offerings on partypoker

Aside from traditional cash games and MTTs, partypoker also supports two types of Sit & Go tournaments and fast-fold play.

Sit & Go tournaments

No Limit Texas Hold’em only. Buy-ins range from $1.10 and go all the way up to $1,050. All the popular speeds and formats are available here: whether you want to play heads-up turbo, 6-max normal, or 9-max super turbo, partypoker has you covered.

Sit & Go HERO

Spin & Go HERO games are basically hyper-turbo 3-max and 4-max tournaments with a twist. In this format, the prize pool is determined randomly – in some rare cases, it may equal 10,000 times your buy-in. In addition, a random player will have a bounty placed on his head – taking him out will allow you to scoop an additional cash prize.

FastForward

FastForward is a fast-paced take on standard ring games, which was undoubtedly inspired by PokerStars’ Zoom tables. Each time you fold your cards, you move to a new table. This means that you won’t have to wait for the remaining players to complete their hand. The stakes range from $0.02/$0.05 to $2/$5 for No-Limit Hold’em and from $0.10/$0.25 for Pot-Limit Omaha.

partypoker rewards program

As briefly touched on above, partypoker used to have a loyalty program that was basically a multi-tabling grinder’s dream come true. The site then replaced it with something so disappointing that we won’t even bother describing it in detail.

The good news is – the old days are back! In May of 2017, partypoker rolled out its new cashback program, which gives you an opportunity to reclaim up to 40 percent of what you paid in rake and tournament fees. As soon as you accumulate 25 partypoker points, which players earn at the rate of one point per dollar paid in rake, you get a 20 percent rakeback deal, which is downright ludicrous.

Here’s a simplified breakdown of this wonderful system:

25 points – $5 cashback – 20% rakeback

150 points – $37.5 cashback – 25% rakeback

600 points – $180 cashback – 30% rakeback

1200 points – $480 cashback – 40% rakeback

Please note that the list above is not all-inclusive. There are multiple milestones in between. For example, if you accumulate 100 points, you’re going to get $20 instead of $5.

Partypoker points reset at the end of each week The money credits to players’ accounts on Mondays. Leftover points don’t transfer over to the next week, so we definitely recommend grinding up to the next milestone whenever it’s feasible to do so.

partypoker deposit/withdrawal options

Partypoker supports all kind of cashiering methods, but the specifics always depend on the country in question. For example, most Europe-based players are free to use Neteller and Skrill. However, neither of these methods is available in Canada.

Deposits

All partypoker deposits are completely free. As mentioned above, the methods depend on your area of residence. However, in most cases, you’ll be able to choose between some kind of e-wallet solution, a traditional wire transfer, and a credit card payment.

Withdrawals

Credit card withdrawals usually take up to 10 business days.

If you withdraw your money via an e-wallet, you receive your money as soon as partypoker staff processes the request.

Wire transfers tend to take between three and ten business days.

Please note that some withdrawal options might be available exclusively to customers who used them to deposit in the past. The site reserves the right to process every cash out request internally for up to three business days.

partypoker support

At partypoker there is also an FAQ section, but it’s worth noting that important information is spread all over the website, so researching a specific subject can get tiresome at times.

All in all, it’s a good resource as long as you have the patience required to find what you’re looking for. If there’s one thing we’d recommend partypoker should improve on in terms of their support, it would probably be their FAQ.

E-mails are usually answered in less than eight hours but don’t be surprised if you receive a reply in an hour or less. In our brief communications with partypoker, we’ve found their e-mail support representatives to be professional, responsive, and attentive to details.

partypoker promotions

partypoker has an interesting mission system, which allows you to earn additional bonuses for completing specific in-game tasks. These missions are grouped into three categories:

Getting Started

Cash Games

Sit & Go

In order to take advantage of this system, you have to go to your Missions section, select the mission that you’re interested in, and click Start Mission. Objectives range from completing five casual cash game hands and winning one of them for ‘Getting Started I’ to playing five S&Gs per day for five days, winning a hand with 22, 55, 77, 88, and 99, and eliminating five players per day for five days straight for the ‘EXTREME Sit & Go Mission‘.

You also get standard limited-time promotions, which give you an opportunity to win free tournament tickets or small cash prizes. For example, the Play 10 Get One Free offer allows you to earn one free S&G ticket for completing ten tournaments of this kind.

Conclusion

In early 2017, partypoker’s position on the market seemed to be set in stone – it used to be that newbie-friendly poker room that’s generally frowned upon by serious players. However, the recent changes to its cashback program turned the situation on its head. If you’re looking for pure value, we believe partypoker’s offer is better than what you’ll find on PokerStars or 888poker. Their traffic stats don’t reflect this state of affairs yet, but poker players tend to react to financial incentives, so we expect partypoker’s numbers to improve in 2018.